Would you put your horse through this?

C

chrisley

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 March 2018
Messages
57
Visit site
Sorry the thread title is a bit rubbish!

We’re meant to be moving back to the US next summer after 15 years in the UK. Three years ago I imported my wonderful gelding from southern Spain and had no idea about piroplasmosis or that it’s common in that region and that the US doesn’t allow import of piro infected horses.

Had my gelding tested and his blood came back at over double the threshold for a positive result on a cELISA. He’s fit and well and the piro is causing him no harm.

There’s a treatment for it, but it would cause pretty intense suffering for about 8 days. It also only has a success rate of about 70%, so it’s entirely possible he would suffer for no reason.

However, if I sell him, I have no control over his future and he might get passed around, be unhappy, or experience long term suffering at the hands of others. Our situation is incredibly financially stable, we would be buying our own land, and we have multiple family members with land so it’s hard to imagine a situation where I would be forced to give him up.

On the other other hand, he could break a leg the day he steps off the plane in the US, and all his suffering would be for nothing. Or he could be sold to the perfect home here and be even happier than he is now.

What would you do? Would you put your horse through short term suffering for a decent chance at long term happiness? The idea of giving him the treatment is pretty abhorrent to me, but so is the idea of sending him out into the world where I have no say over his future.

I’m leaning more towards selling him but I wanted to see what other people’s opinions were.
 
I think you already know what the outcome is. No, you can’t control the future of a horse, but in my experience of having horses over a long time is a nice horse with value will on the whole be looked after and you just look for the right home. I sold one recently for £1 who is a 14yo because it was the most perfect home with someone I know very well.
 
The treatment for it is horrendous and horrifically expensive with not the best chance of success and if it is not successful he will be forced to be put down in America.

You would be best to sell him or loan him in the UK/ Europe
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
Out of interest, what is the treatment for it? Google is telling me the drug but not why its so hideous
Click to expand...
Imidocarb. It has to be given with antispasmodics to prevent colic. Horse apparently begins to feel completely awful within about four minutes of the first dose, with 4 doses given every 48 hours. Death is rare but not impossible and in bad cases you can end up with permanent liver and/or kidney damage.

And even then the horse may not test clear for piro.

It’s really a non-option. But then I think about selling him and sending him into the great unknown and I get a little teary. He’s such a great horse, but he’s sensitive and tricky and I worry he would end up with someone who wouldn’t understand him, somewhere down the line.
 
When I was pregnant I went into preterm labor and was given an IV of magnesium sulfate. I felt so awful that I eventually got to the point where I didn’t care if I lived or if the baby lived, I just wanted to be put out of my suffering. When I read about the side effects of imidocarb this is what plays on my mind, and I don’t think I could put a healthy horse through it when there’s a good chance he’d have a perfectly nice life with someone else.
 
I would definitely sell him, not put him through that. I wouldn’t loan him as I dont think people on the whole take such good care of an animal as they do when it belongs to them. I know some do, but I’m talking in a general way. Also as said above you can’t check up on him or sort it out if the loan goes wrong, if you are in the USA.
 
Time for Tea said:
I would definitely sell him, not put him through that. I wouldn’t loan him as I dont think people on the whole take such good care of an animal as they do when it belongs to them. I know some do, but I’m talking in a general way. Also as said above you can’t check up on him or sort it out if the loan goes wrong, if you are in the USA.
Click to expand...
Agreed. If there was any issue or if I needed to find a new loan home it would be an impossible situation.
 
meleeka said:
I've no direct experience, but I'd ask yourself who you would be doing it for? Probably not for the horse, who could live a long and lovely life without it. You've made your decision to move, so it feels a little unfair to make the horse suffer too because of that .
Click to expand...
I absolutely agree. I just wish I could guarantee him a happy and healthy life after he sells. But don’t we all, when we sell our horses…
 
You say are financially stable, would you consider a retirement home for him in the UK. That way he’s still yours and you would get updates etc. The excellent one my horse was in had cameras in the fields so you could still see your horse even from the US.
You’d have to search around for a good retirement home but you wouldn’t be limited to a specific location so it would be easier to find somewhere.
 
No personal experience but judging by how aggressive the treatment seems, from what you describe, not sure I could do it either. If it was a one off treatment perhaps but then I wonder with Piro, if its currently supressed or he is just a "carrier", whether the stress of the treatment could bring it into play more, not sure and don't envy you at all. I am not a vet, so cannot say how the outcome would be, but it appears to carry risks too.

In your shoes I think I would find a forever home via word of mouth through friends if possible. Really depends what the horse is capable of doing etc and that anyone taking them on is practical about the situation and mindful.
 
myheartinahoofbeat said:
You say are financially stable, would you consider a retirement home for him in the UK. That way he’s still yours and you would get updates etc. The excellent one my horse was in had cameras in the fields so you could still see your horse even from the US.
You’d have to search around for a good retirement home but you wouldn’t be limited to a specific location so it would be easier to find somewhere.
Click to expand...
This is a great idea, I’ll look around and see what I can find. Although he does love getting out and about, and if I could find the perfect person I think he’d be happier being doted on. But it would be reassuring to know there’s somewhere he could go if I don’t find the right person.
 
Goldenstar said:
What I would do if I where you since you have the finances to be comfortable is to loan or lease him to a great home .
I would ask a trusted friend to look over him and be ready to pay the bills if it became necessary.
I would not be able to sell an older horse like him I would worry forever .
Click to expand...
I would do this.
 
Given you are financially stable I’d look to loan/lease in the UK, and have trusted back up in place who could go collect and livery him in an emergency. I’d probably do it sooner rather than later so you can take your time finding the right person and being confident the horse is settled before you make the US move.
 
There is one other option if all else fails and you couldn’t cope with the unknown of selling. But retirement livery sounds lovely too.
 
If i was you I would either look for someone to loan or lease your horse to a friend in the United Kingdom but I really hope you can figure something out about what to do with your beautiful horse
 
chrisley said:
@Goldenstar and @CJoe I would definitely look to friends first. I’d be happy to keep paying his livery even if he was well taken care of! He’s not older though, he’s still fairly young and very healthy and has lots of life left in him (I hope).
Click to expand...
If a retirement livery gets to the top of your list then Horse Haven in Wales. It's predominantly track livery but they do have fields and she understands Spanish horses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top